I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drag-reducing wing and tailgate for pickup trucks.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art has recognized that the tailgate of a pickup truck, when in a closed position, creates a substantial barrier to airflow which adversely affects gas mileage. Prior art patents, such as Jensen Patent 4,165,118; Morgan 4,201,411; and Wine Patent 4,475,759 disclose tailgates in which one or more elongate, rectangular panels or louvers are pivotally mounted within a tailgate frame for movement between a closed position where the major surface of the panel lies in a generally vertical position, and an open position wherein the panel is pivoted in the tailgate frame to lie in a generally horizontal position so that the panel is disposed in an edgewise relationship to the rearward flow of air relative to the truck to present a minimal resistance to this airflow. Morgan and Wine disclose various arrangements by means of which the panels may be mechanically latched in their closed position or be mechanically latched in one or more open or partially open positions. The Jensen patent discloses an arrangement in which a plurality of panels may be latched in a closed position or unlatched to pivot freely in response to the rearward flow of air against the panels to open positions to minimize resistance to this flow of air through the tailgate.
The Wine patent identified above further discloses an arrangement by which a pivoted tailgate panel may be locked in a downwardly and forwardly inclined position to induce a downwardly directed force on the rearward end of the truck derived from the airflow against the inclined panel surface which will increase the traction for rear-wheel drive trucks.
While the various tailgates shown in the patents referred to above all provide a substantially reduced resistance to airflow as compared to a conventional solid tailgate, those arrangements which will locate the various panels in fixed open positions require the panel to be manually moved to and manually latched in the desired position. Where the panels may pivot freely, as in Jensen 4,165,118, turbulence in the airflow induced by airflow around the cab of the truck will tend to cause a substantial amount of flutter of the freely pivotal panels which, under certain conditions, can become quite violent.
The present invention is directed to a solution of the foregoing problems, and further to the reduction of turbulence in the flow of air rearwardly toward the tailgate.